Canon Powershot SX280 HS Review
May 28, 2013
|
Mark Goldstein
|

Specifications
IMAGE SENSOR
Type | 1/2.3 type back-illuminated CMOS |
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Effective Pixels | Approx. 12.1M |
Colour Filter Type | Primary Colour |
IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type | DIGIC 6 |
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LENS
Focal Length | 4.5 – 90.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 25 – 500 mm) |
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Zoom | Optical 20x ZoomPlus 40x Digital Approx. 4.0x (with Digital Tele-Converter Approx. 1.5x or 2.0x and Safety Zoom¹). Combined Approx. 80x |
Maximum f/number | f/3.5 – f/6.8 |
Construction | 12 elements in 10 groups (1 UD lens, 2 double-sided aspherical lens) |
Image Stabilisation | Yes (lens shift-type), 4-stop (Canon standard). Intelligent IS |
FOCUSING
Type | TTL |
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AF System/Points | Face Detection, 1-point AF (fixed to centre) |
AF Modes | Single, Continuous, Servo AF/AE¹, Tracking AF, Underwater Macro, Quick |
AF Point Selection | Size (Normal, Small) |
AF Lock | On/Off Selectable |
AF Assist Beam | Yes |
Manual Focus | Yes |
Closest Focusing Distance | 5 cm (W) from front of lens in macro |
EXPOSURE CONTROL
Metering Modes | Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (Centre) |
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AE Lock | On/Off Selectable |
Exposure Compensation | +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Enhanced i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction |
ISO sensitivity* | AUTO, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400 |
SHUTTER
Speed | 1 – 1/3200 sec. (factory default) 15 – 1/3200 sec. (total range – varies by shooting mode) |
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WHITE BALANCE
Type | TTL |
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Settings | Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, Custom. White Balance Compensation (Underwater mode) |
LCD MONITOR
Monitor | 7.5 cm (3.0”) PureColor II G (TFT). Approx. 461,000 dots |
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Coverage | Approx. 100% |
Brightness | Adjustable to one of five levels. Quick-bright LCD |
FLASH
Modes | Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Synchro |
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Slow Sync Speed | Yes. Fastest speed 1/2000 sec. |
Red-Eye Reduction | Yes |
Flash Exposure Compensation | +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE, Safety FE, Smart Flash Exposure |
Flash Exposure Lock | Yes |
Manual Power Adjustment | 3 levels with internal flash |
Built-in Flash Range | 50 cm – 3.5 m (W) / 1.0 m – 2.0 m (T) |
External Flash | Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2 |
SHOOTING
Modes | Smart Auto (58 scenes detected), Hybrid Auto, Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Live View Control, Sports, SCN (Portrait, Smart Shutter (Smile, Wink Self-Timer, FaceSelf-Timer), High-speed Burst HQ, Handheld Night Scene, Underwater, Snow, Fireworks), Creative Filters (Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome,Soft Focus, Super Vivid, Poster Effect), Discreet, Movie |
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Modes in Movie | Smart Auto (21 scenes detected), P, Portrait, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Underwater, Snow, Fireworks, Super Slow Motion Movie |
Photo Effects | My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color) |
Drive Modes | Single, Auto Drive, Continuous, Continuous with AF, Self-Timer |
Continuous Shooting | Approx. 3.8 shots/sec., AF: Approx. 5.1 shots/sec., up to 7 shots, LV: Approx. 1.0 shots/sec., High-speed Burst HQ: Approx. 14.0 shots/sec., up to 7 shots¹ ² |
RECORDING PIXELS/COMPRESSION
Image Size | 4:3 - (L) 4000 x 3000, (M1) 2816 x 2112, (M2) 1600 x 1200, (S) 640 x 480 16:9 - (L) 4000 x 2248, (M1) 2816 x 1584, (M2) 1920 x 1080, (S) 640 x 360 3:2 - (L) 4000 x 2664, (M1) 2816 x 1880, (M2) 1600 x 1064, (S) 640 x 424 1:1 - (L) 2992 x 2992, (M1) 2112 x 2112, (M2) 1200 x 1200, (S) 480 x 480 Resize in playback (M2, S) |
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Compression | Superfine, Fine |
Movies | (Full HD) 1920 x 1080, 60 fps, 30fps, (HD) 1280 x 720, 30 fps, (L) 640 x 480, 30 fps Super Slow Motion Movie (L) 640 x 480, 120fps, (M) 320 x 240, 240fps Miniature Effect (HD, L) 6fps, 3fps, 1.5 fps Movie Digest (HD) 30fps |
Movie Length | (Full HD & HD) Up to 4 GB or 29 min. 59 sec.¹ (L) Up to 4 GB or 1 hour² (Super Slow Motion Movie) 30 sec. |
FILE TYPES
Still Image Type | JPEG compression, (Exif 2.3 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant |
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Movies | MP4 [Video: MPEG4-AVC (H.264), Audio: MPEG2 AAC-LC (stereo)] |
GPS log | LOG [NMEA 0183 message format compliant¹] |
DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers | Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Fixed Size Print and Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP & ES printers only) |
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PictBridge | Yes (via USB or Wireless LAN) |
OTHER FEATURES
GPS | Yes¹. A-GPS (Assisted GPS) supported. GPS tagging, GPS Logger, automatic time update |
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Red-Eye Correction | Yes, during shooting and playback |
Intelligent Orientation Sensor | Yes |
Histogram | Yes |
Playback zoom | Approx. 2x – 10x |
Self Timer | Approx. 2 or 10 sec. or Custom |
Menu Languages | English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Farsi, Hindi, Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese |
INTERFACE
Computer | Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible) |
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Other | HDMI Mini Connector (HDMI-CEC compatible), A/V output (PAL/NTSC) |
Computer/Other | Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11b/g/n), (2.4 GHz only)¹ |
MEMORY CARD
Type | SD, SDHC, SDXC |
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SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC & Macintosh | Windows 8 / 7 SP1 / Vista SP2 / XP SP3 Mac OS X v10.6 – 10.8 For Wi-Fi connection to a PC: Windows 8 / 7 SP1 Mac OS X v10.6.8 / v10.7 / v10.8.2 or later |
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SOFTWARE
Browsing & Printing | ImageBrowser EX |
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Other | PhotoStitch, Map Utility |
POWER SOURCE
Batteries | Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-6L (battery and charger supplied) |
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Battery Life | Approx. 210 shots¹ (Measured with GPS features off) Eco mode: 260 shots¹ Approx. 210 min. playback More than 48 hours using only GPS Logger |
A/C Power Supply | Optional, AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40 |
ACCESSORIES
Cases/Straps | Soft Case DCC-1500 Soft Case DCC-1550 |
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Waterproof/Weatherproof Case | Waterproof Case (40m) WP-DC49 Waterproof Case Weight WW-DC1 |
Flash | High Power Flash HF-DC2 |
Power Supply & Battery Chargers | AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40, Battery Charger CB-2LYE |
Other | Canon HDMI Cable HTC-100 |
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Operating Environment | 0 – 40 °C, 10 – 90% humidity |
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Dimensions (WxHxD) | 106.4 x 62.8 x 32.6 mm |
Weight | Approx. 233 g (including battery/batteries and memory card) |
Zoom | ¹ Depending on the image size selected. |
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AF Modes | ¹ Some settings limit availability. |
Continuous Shooting | ¹ Under conditions where the flash does not fire. ² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting. |
Movie Length | ¹ The following Speed Class memory cards are required for maximum record time: (HD) 1280 x 720 Speed Class 4 or above. (Full HD) 1920 x 1080 Speed Class 6 or above. (iFrame) 1280 x 720 Speed Class 6 or above. ² Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting. |
GPS log | ¹ Complies with the NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association of the U.S.) 0183 |
GPS | ¹ GPS use may be restricted in certain countries or regions. Use of GPS should comply with the laws and regulations of the country and area in which it is being operated including any restriction on the use of electronics. |
Computer/Other | ¹ Wi-Fi use may be restricted in certain countries or regions. Wi-Fi support varies by device and region. For more information visit www.canon-europe.com/wirelesscompacts |
Battery Life | ¹ Using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera (where included), except where indicated. |
- All data is based on Canon standard testing methods (according to CIPA Standards) except where indicated.
- Subject to change without notice.
- *Standard Output Sensitivity / Recommended Exposure Index
- . According to ISO 12232:2006 (20th April 2006) which specifies the method for assigning and reporting ISO speed ratings for digital still cameras.